French-Canadian naval hero and explorer, noted for his exploration and battles on behalf of the French in Hudson Bay and in the territory of Louisiana. The son of prominent Montreal fur trader Charles Le Moyne, Iberville spent his young manhood in raids against English trading posts on Hudson Bay. In 1686 he joined the expedition of Pierre de Troyes to the James Bay region, capturing three forts over which he was made commander. Over the next decade Iberville distinguished himself in numerous actions against the English, notably at Corlaer (now Schenectady, N.Y.; 1690); Pemaquid, Maine (1696); and St. John’s, Newfoundland (1696). His most brilliant foray was the Hudson Bay campaign of 1697; this success made him, at age 36, New France’s most celebrated hero. After the Treaty of Rijswijk (1697) temporarily settled the dispute between the English and the French over Hudson Bay, Iberville was commissioned to fortify the mouth of the Mississippi in order to secure the claim made on...